Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Back Torso and Drapery Studies

Some more studies much like the front torso studies, but these are of the back. Again, based off of Rubens paintings with different lay-in techniques for each. I like doing these a lot. I usually have trouble taking a figure from gesture and construction to anatomy. This exercise has helped me practice. Below is a drapery study in charcoal. It needs some work, but I like the direction it's going.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Igor: Cruel but Fair

A sketch and color study of a russian town leader. He is a fair man but you don't want to be on his bad side for he can be incredibly cruel. His concern is for his people. He will protect them at all costs. He is judge, jury and executioner and he has no mercy for the accused.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Tie Interceptor

I started taking a Maya class this semester and it's really fun! So far we've worked on tutorials which mainly involve modeling and limited animation. I've been working on a Tie Interceptor just for fun and I thought I would share it. It's still a work in progress, but I'm learning a lot and I think it's coming out really well.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Goats!

For my advanced animation class, we were asked to design a character which could be animated in various tests throughout the year. In the past, my character designs have lacked vitality, so I wanted to go with something more lively. Towards that goal, I started thinking about the early days of animation, pulling heavily from Disney/Iwerks and Fleischer cartoons from the late 20s and early 30s. After several versions and animals later, I found pleasing shapes with a goat sketch I had done. In order to increase the versatility of the design towards animation, I worked with proportions closer to that of Warner Brothers characters of the 40s.

Designing this character was fun because I imagined the world in which he lived and the various situations and gags he would encounter. As a depression-era goat, his schtick is being terribly hungry and endlessly searching for food and ways to get it. Goats are known to eat anything, so gags can be written around that theme.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

A Summer Recap

What a great summer! I started off by finishing the "Tube" film I had started during the semester for Intermediate Animation. My goal was to get it into Ottawa (OIAF). Unfortunately it was not to be. But summer had bigger and better things in store for me.

Working on my own film was fun but stressful. I had complete control over all aspects of the film, but that also meant I was responsible for the completion of every square millimeter of it as well. Despite being well prepared and devoting myself full time to the project, the home stretch was riddled with all nighters and culminated in an obligatory mad rush to the post office. I definitely learned a LOT from that experience, which helped me immensely while working on a second film back at school.

After working feverishly to finish off my own film for Ottawa, it was back to school (of all places) to help Dave Chai work on his next film. I didn't realize how much fun hard work could be. (I wish I could explian all the crazy things that happened during production like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, dragonforce, nerf basketball, and the infamous quote wall, but that would be a whole new blog which I'll probably never have time to write!)

If this experience taught me nothing else it's that I enjoy working in a group environment. Nothing beats the camaraderie (and the instant feedback!) of a large group of good hard working peers. I know I'm making it sound sugary and sweet, but it really was a great environment in which to work. We all worked hard, but we all played hard at the same time. I miss it already.

The tubby Superman sketch above right was just one of the many fun images that came out of that very environment. Here's a more traditional Superman at bottom left.

The group experience has shown me that what I strive for in this line of work is a combination of individual self drive and peer support. I'm hoping that one day I will be able to find such an environment in which to work. As for now, school has started and it's on to (yep!) another film!